So the Reality: Fear Factor
by Samurai Crunchbird
Summary: This is the second story in the 'So the Reality' series. Monique and Rufus compete with three other cartoon teams for a hundred thousand dollars in an episode of 'Fear Factor'. ...Complete...
1. Team Meeting & A Quick Swim

_**My disclaimer for the entire **__**So The Reality**__** series:**_

I know Disney owns "Kim Possible"...lock, stock, and Rufus.

Before I get done, I will probably tick off a few more studios, too.

If they want to sue me, they have to get behind all my other creditors.

Since I am in south Florida, the line has formed to the right

…and goes all the way to Sacramento!

""""""""""

_**Opening notes:**_

**1) This is the second of at **_**least**_** three stories in the 'So the Reality' series.** 'StR' places KP characters into various TV 'reality' shows. The first three stories are based on a 'Prologue' I initially wrote. These stories will start with a little bit of the 'Prologue' and its aftermath pertaining to the story ahead.

I have since moved that 'Prologue' into Chapter 7 ("Interlude") of the other story in the series completed so far, 'So the Reality: Amazing Race'. In that story, Kim & Ron competed against ten other animation 'all-star' teams in a cartoon edition of the CBS hit series, 'The Amazing Race'.

Depending on the success (?) of this story, I might re-release the 'Prologue' as an independent story.

**2)** The stunts in this story have numerous safeguards and are performed by _**cartoon **_characters. In real life, all of these stunts are _EXTREMELY_ DANGEROUS!

_**--DO **__**NOT**__** TRY THESE STUNTS AT HOME…or anywhere ELSE, for **__**that**__** matter!!--**_

**3) **No matter what I put here, it's still up to you, the loyal reader, to let me know what you want. _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_ (Sorry…got carried away there, but you get the idea.) Enjoy!

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**So the Reality: 'Fear Factor' (Introduction)**_

Summer was a busy season for Monique. On her eighteenth birthday, she was promoted to Assistant Manager at Club Banana. The new position meant she had to work the evening shift nearly every night. Despite the extra hours and pay raise, she knew she had to take full advantage of the earning potential for this summer and the next. That way, she could start college with her friends after graduation.

Although her family was not poor by any means, Monique was not as fortunate as Kim and Ron where college funding was concerned. Even if Kim's parents were _not_ a neurosurgeon and a rocket scientist, her 'save-the-world' exploits and exceptional grades would guarantee a 'full-ride' scholarship to any university on the planet. Ron's recently-improved grades, combined with the additional Naco royalties held in trust after that initial fiasco, also gave him a bright future after high school.

Monique's family, on the other hand, was only able to set aside a meager amount for books and 'in-state' tuition—and that was _only_ if she stayed at home and attended the University of Colorado-Middleton. If she was going to continue college past her freshman year at UC-M, she knew she would have to foot the bill herself.

In addition to Monique's extra hours at work, Ron asked her to take care of Rufus while he and Kim began some 'around-the-world' mission in Omaha, Nebraska. Ron did leave a 'care-and-feeding' list, along with a Kimmunicator. Thankfully, the list was not nearly as extensive as the one he left with Kim on his family's trip to France.

""""""""""

Despite her cluttered schedule, Monique did manage to find enough time to drive her friends to the airport. She wished them luck and let Rufus give Ron one last hug before the naked mole rat's pet human boarded the plane.

Monique opened the door to her house and took Rufus upstairs to the miniature bed she kept on her nightstand. On the rare occasions where Kim and Ron went on a mission without Rufus, he stayed here and slept on the bed Monique used to keep in her Pacific Coast Sandy 'Dream House'. Monique even painted it blue after Rufus objected to its original pink-and-lavender floral design.

Just as Rufus slipped off to Slumberland, the front door opened and a voice called up from downstairs.

"Monique? Are you up there?" called the voice from below.

"Yeah, Mom," responded Monique, "I just got here myself." This noise only caused Rufus to stir a little and mumble Monique's name once or twice while smiling.

"Well," her mother continued, "You just got a letter from a company called 'End-A-Mole' or something like that."

Monique gasped and quickly covered the ears of her little pink buddy. There was no _way_ she asked for someone to eliminate such a good friend. She stormed downstairs to find out exactly what this was all about.

Thankfully, the downstairs trip gave her enough time to take a few deep breaths and calmly ask her mother for the envelope. Her face quickly turned from anger to jubilation.

"Oh, Momma," she laughed, "it's not _'End-A-Mole'_, the exterminators. It's _'Endemol'_, the producers of that crazy stunt show, 'Fear Factor'. Remember when I auditioned for it right after my birthday?"

Before her mother could ask about what these people had to say, Monique read the letter and began to whoop for joy.

She hugged her mother and shouted, "I made it! They picked _me!_ They want me in Go City on Tuesday to compete for fifty grand! That can cover tuition and books for _**two more years**_ at UC-M! By the time I hit senior year, I am _bound_ to earn a scholarship…or at least have earned enough at CB for the rest of it. _**This could be my **__**TICKET**__**, Momma!!!**_"

"Oh, honey," her mother cried as she returned the hug, "that's _wonderful_ news!" The wide grin was soon replaced by a frown. "But I thought the prize was a _hundred_ grand!"

Monique sensed the disappointment. "Well, yes it is," she replied, "but I have to pick a teammate and split that. It's still fifty grand, though!"

"So who are you going to pick to help you?"

"Oh, you _**know**_ it's gotta be my BFF Ki—" Monique froze. She remembered Kim and Ron's plane was just taking off for Omaha. After that, they were off to Goodness-knows-where for the next two weeks or so.

With their departure eliminating Monique's first two choices, her mind began to scramble for a teammate. Her mother tried to offer a few suggestions.

"How about me, Little Mo?" her mom offered.

"Aww," sighed Monique, "that's so sweet of you to offer…but this is 'Fear Factor' we're talking about. It took four months of therapy to stop you from hiding in the corner whenever we get more than an inch of snow on the ground."

"You _**know**_ it's all because of that massive blizzard when I was a kid," her mother protested. "Still, I guess you're right. That also takes out Kim's dad, James, due to his fear of heights." She quickly gasped, "How about Kim's mother, Anne?"

"Great idea, Mom! She's fearless, in great shape, and always looking for a challenge…Oh, that's _right!!_ She's got five different surgeries in the next week. _**Bummer!**_"

"Have you asked that nice boy, Wade? I hear he's rather _sweet_ on you."

"That is sick and wrong on _**so**_ many levels! I mean, he's probably too scared to leave his own _house_ longer than a trip to Compu-Shack!"

"Alright, what about Jim or Tim?"

"They're still grounded after that incident last Christmas with those strings of 150-megawatt bulbs."

"Honey, don't you mean 150-_watt_ bulbs?"

That question was met with an armor-piercing glare from the teen. Before Monique could elaborate on the damage caused by dozens of drivers going temporarily blind at the same time, she felt a slight tug at her pant leg. She looked down to notice a little pink rodent with a begging look in his eyes.

"What is it, Ru?" Monique asked.

Rufus was apparently awakened by the news of Monique's selection for the show. He started jumping up and down, shouting, "Me! Me! _**ME!**_"

Monique looked at her watch and groaned. "Yes, I know, I know. It's almost time for your daily wedge of swi—"

"No, no, NO!" Rufus interrupted. He grabbed the letter, waved it around, and shouted once again, "_**MEEEE!!!**_" He then handed Monique the Kimmunicator and chirped, "Wade know me!"

She turned on the device and heard a familiar voice nearly choke on his Slurpster.

"M-M-M-Monique?" stammered Wade as he made a ten-second attempt to look his best for the camera. In as smooth a voice as he could muster, he smiled and inquired, "How may I help you today, my ebony beauty?"

Monique was clearly annoyed by this, but she knew she had to treat Wade with 'kid gloves' for the sake of her BFFs.

"Wade," she began, "I am flattered, but you _**know**_ you and me ain't gonna happen!"

"Can't hate a playa from takin' his shot, though." was Wade's quick reply.

Any hostility Monique held for this diminutive genius was quickly replaced by sheer laughter.

"Wade, have you been getting romance pointers from _Ron_ again?"

"Hey, Mo, don't dis him. Just look who _**he**_ got with that level of game!"

"And to think it only took almost his entire _lifetime_ to win her over."

"Touché. I guess the Mystical Monkey Power put him over the top on that campaign."

"Mystical _**what?**_"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Wade was quite surprised by the Middleton High 'Gossip Queen' not being 'in the loop' about what happened to two of her best friends.

Monique was getting a little annoyed by Wade's gloating.

"Just spill, ok?" she groused.

"A couple of years back, Ron and Rufus were going after Monkey Fist. They were all hit with Mystical Monkey Powers. Ron got the biggest share, though."

"So that explains the scene in the hall at MHS a while ba—Wait a minute! You said they were _all_ hit with MMP? Kim too?"

"Kim sent a hologram in her place because she couldn't get out of a family commitment."

"No _wonder_ she never told me about this! She probably _**still**_ feels the guilt monster about that one!!"

"Big time."

"And what about Rufus? Are you saying…"

"Yep! He is the smallest recipient of MMP in the history of the ancient scrolls. He'll be the perfect partner for your 'Fear Factor' appearance, if you just give him a chance."

"I guess you're right, Wa—Hold it!" Monique's face grew suspicious as she continued. "Just _how_ did you know I was picked? Boy, if you got this place bugged, I swear I'll…"

"Chill, Monique. I see Rufus waving the letter in the background and hopping around with a smile on his face. It doesn't take a genius to figure _that_ out!"

She turned around and saw just as Wade described. On top of all of that, Rufus once again shouted, "_**ME!**_ Can DO it!"

Monique sheepishly turned back to the Kimmunicator and said, "Sorry, I snapped like that. Forgive?"

"As Kim would say, it's no big, Mo. I'll be sure to tell Kim and Ron about this before she has to turn in her Kimmunicator at the start of their Omaha mission."

"Say _**what?**_"

"Yeah. They have to turn in all 'specially-designed' electronic gadgets and weapons before the start of this 'competition' of theirs."

"It almost sounds like they're going on 'The Amazing Race' or something!"

Wade froze in his place for a moment. "Hey," he complained, "do you have _**my**_ place bugged or something?"

"Nope," Monique chuckled, "Just a lucky guess. While I got you on the line, could we get ride set up for Go City on Monday, with an overnight stay? That's where they're taping this on Tuesday morning. They'll put us up Tuesday night, but a return trip on Wednesday afternoon would be nice, too."

"For you," cooed Wade, "_**anything**_ within the realm of good moral conduct. And everything _outside_ that realm is still open for negotiation."

"What part of _'Ain't…Gonna…Happen'_ don't you understand?"

"You know I had to try once more," Wade grinned before hitting a few more buttons on his keyboard. After a moment, he smiled.

"Okay, Monique," he said, "I got your ride and a place to stay. How do you feel about multi-colored spandex suits?" This only served to increase her rage.

Monique roared, "_**For the sake of Kim and Ron, I have **__**held**__** my tongue about your 'crush' up to this point! **__**Now**__** you have crossed **__**WAY**__** over the li—**_"

"No, not that!" screamed Wade, "I'm talking about _**Team Go!!**_ The Go Plane will pick you up from Middleton International and you can stay at Go Tower while in town!"

"Oh," Monique replied meekly. "Thanks, Wade. I guess you really _do_ rock!"

"Oooh, yeah! You are _more_ than welcome." Wade proclaimed in his best Barry White voice—which still sounded like a yowling cat. After he saw Monique's scowl, his normal voice stuttered, "Th-that is, in a 'g-good friend' sort of way!"

"That's better," Monique smirked as she turned off the Kimmunicator.

""""""""""

The indoor swimming pool of Go City University was surrounded by swirling light fog. While all other lighting was dimmed, ultraviolet bulbs glowed around the perimeter of the pool, giving it an even spookier appearance.

An outside door opened to contrast the setting with blinding sunlight. Four pairs of…beings…walked through the doorway to the corner of the pool furthest from the door.

As each twosome entered the pool complex, the show's viewing screen split into three parts. The upper-left corner showed the pair continuing their journey to the pool. The lower-left corner flashed some introductory information about each duo on the screen. One member of the team was shown on the right half of the screen giving some comments on the upcoming competition.

The first pair consisted of a black-feathered duck and a pig wearing a blue jacket…

_**DAFFY & PORKY**_

_Hometown: Hollywood, CA_

…Daffy spoke with a lisp, but Porky suffered from a massive stuttering problem. This forced the dark mallard to speak for the team.

"A hundred thouthand thmackerth!! Thath a lotta cabbage!! After we win that money, I'll get Ol' Ham-Hock out of the way. Then, I'll _really_ be rollin' in the green!"

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

Two amphibians, each just over six feet in height, strolled up to the pool. One wore a red mask, while the other wore an orange mask…

_**RAPHAEL & MICHAELANGELO**_

_Hometown: New York, NY_

…The over-sized turtles surveyed the pool setting for a moment.

"Whoa," shouted Michaelangelo. "This reminds me of that pet shop tank where we lived back when we were so small. It even has dividers like the old tank had when we all snapped at each other."

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

A mahogany-skinned young woman quickly grabbed the attention of all eyes in the swim complex with her modest, yet stylish, one-piece bathing suit. Only a few of those eyes even noticed a small pink rodent scampering beside her…

_**MONIQUE & RUFUS**_

_Hometown: Middleton, CO_

…Monique noticed all the attention she was getting for her swimsuit. It seemed more of an annoyance to her than flattery.

"Put your eyes back into your sockets and pick up your jaws from the ground already!!" she scolded. "Oh...that's _right_. This is the 'Fear Factor' staff. I guess you _**wouldn't**_ know what to do with a real woman away from the camera!"

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

A meerkat and warthog cautiously entered the swimming area…

_**TIMON & PUMBAA**_

_Hometown: Somewhere in Africa_

…The warthog had a look of disappointment on his face when he first saw the pool.

"Aw, man!" groaned Pumbaa. "If this is 'Fear Factor', where are all the _bugs_ and the _slimy_ things?"

"If you make it that far," a male voice responded, "you'll see plenty of both."

All eyes shifted their focus to a man with scraggly dark hair and three-day stubble as he stood by a corner of the pool. He used his yellow polo shirt to wipe the sweat off his brow.

The man gazed upon what he felt was the motliest bunch of creatures he had ever encountered. Yes, there was a dark-skinned woman who looked like she would be perfect for one of those 'Ladies Gone Loco' tapes he always hosted. The rest of the group, however, seemed better suited for a zoo rather than a reality show.

One thought was running through the man's head…

'_How did those producers end up roping me into __**this**__ one?'_

The man put on his most cordial face possible to address these…competitors.

"Good morning," he said, "and welcome to 'Fear Factor', everybody. I'm your host, Joe Rogan, and here's how we're going to do this today. Each of the first two stunts will be performed by one member of each team. After that, you will both compete on all other stunts.

"If any team fails to complete a stunt, they will be eliminated. If all the teams complete the stunt, the worst-performing team with be eliminated.

"There are eight competitors grouped as four teams today. One of you will conquer your fears and walk out of here a hundred thousand dollars richer!"

""""""""""

All the competitors began to take a closer look at the pool. It was divided into four quadrants by thick acrylic walls with locked, numbered doors. The quadrant closest to the competitors was completely open. A scuba diver with an extra tank was positioned inside each quadrant.

Joe pointed to the open quadrant and said, "Here is your first stunt. When I say 'go', one member of your team will will swim to the bottom of this pool filled with forty-eight degree water and unlatch a key from the pool floor. That key must be used to unlock Door Number One.

"Once that door is unlocked, that competitor must use the same method to unlock the other three doors in sequence. Once you surface back here after going through Door Number Four, time is called and the clock stops.

"At each quadrant, you may notice we have a diver standing by. If you are too scared to continue the stunt at any time, give the diver a 'thumbs down' signal. They will then assist you in safely getting out of the pool. I assume most of you _do_ have thumbs, right?"

With the exception of Pumbaa, most of the other competitors gave Joe a 'thumbs-up' sign. Raphael, insulted by having Joe 'talk down' to him like this, brought up _another_ finger instead. It was quickly blurred out by the censors, but the shocked looks of the other competitors left no doubt about the nature of the gesture.

"Raphael, was that completely necessary?" complained Joe.

Michaelangelo defended his fellow turtle. "Joe," he explained, "you should already know Raph is cool, but _crude_. I'm the one who's the party dude! Haven't you ever heard our original theme?"

Joe decided it was time to move forward with the show. He wrote on four slips of paper and put them into a 'Fear Factor' cap.

"Teams," he said, "it's time to pick whoever will do this stunt. That competitor will draw a slip out of this hat to determine their order for doing the stunt."

Timon approached the hat first, pulling out the slip marked "third".

Daffy strolled up to Joe and pulled "second" from the hat.

Monique and Raphael opened their slips at the same time. Raphael actually seemed relieved to be going last for this stunt.

""""""""""

Monique stood next to the pool and took a couple of deep breaths. She then turned to Joe and nodded that she was ready.

Joe quickly yelled, "Go!"

Monique jumped feet-first into the chilled water. She went straight for the key and unlatched it from the pool floor. After opening the first door, she came up for air. She returned to the pool floor as Joe yelled encouragement.

"You're doing great," Joe shouted. "Not yet thirty seconds in and you're already working on the second door."

Indeed, she made short work of the first three doors. Before trying the final door, she took an extra breath of air as her lungs were still trying to compensate for the colder water of the pool.

After the short pause, she returned to the pool floor and finished the task.

"Time!" shouted Joe.

She quickly reached for a towel and a blanket to cover herself and get warm.

"Monique," Joe called out, "your time was 1:48. Outstanding job! That sets the bar pretty high for the rest of these teams."

Daffy took to the water like…well, a duck to water! He was much faster with the swimming, but he took longer to unlock each door. Still, his time of 1:39 was good enough to take over the lead and clinch a spot in the next round.

Timon had a lot of trouble trying to reach the pool floor. Once there, his nimble fingers were swift in unlatching the keys to unlock each door. Monique was relieved when she saw the clock reach two minutes just before he slipped through the final door and finished the task.

"Okay, Raphael," Joe stated, "you have to beat 2:03 to move on to the next round."

Raphael prepared himself and began the stunt. The water was way too cold for his comfort. His stubby fingers didn't help when it came to unlatching the keys from the floor of the pool. He finished the stunt with a time of…

"Two minutes…forty-one seconds! I'm sorry, guys. Your team has been eliminated."

The turtles shook hands with the other teams before departing the swim complex.

"Okay, teams," Joe said as he faced the remaining three groups, "let's go over to our next stunt…right after we take this commercial break!"

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**Author's ending notes:**_

**1) **Believe it or not, I actually had a much _longer_ introduction for the start of this story. It featured Monique's POV on the original 'Prologue'. If I _**do**_ decide to re-release 'So the Reality: Prologue', the extra scene will serve as a second chapter to that story. I would then add more chapters as more 'StR' stories are begun.

**2)** The production of this story, like that for any work of fiction, is solely dependent upon the _constructive_ feedback of its readers. If you like it, I will gladly make more. If you think of ways to make it better, I am always open to suggestions. If you really think it's a piece of garbage, stop me before I strike again!! Once again, _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_

Your friend in writing,

The Samurai Crunchbird


	2. Bugs & Claustrophobia

_**My disclaimer for the entire **__**So The Reality**__** series:**_

I know Disney owns "Kim Possible"...lock, stock, and Rufus.

Before I get done, I will probably tick off a few more studios, too.

If they want to sue me, they have to get behind all my other creditors.

Since I am in south Florida, the line has formed to the right

…and goes all the way to Sacramento!

""""""""""

_**Opening notes:**_

**1) **Thanks to the review from _**lxk**_ and the 'Story Alert' tag from _**FireStorm2K7**_, I decided to re-release the 'So the Reality: Prologue' as its own story in FanFiction.

**2)** The stunts in this story have numerous safeguards and are performed by _**cartoon**_ characters. In real life, all of these stunts are _EXTREMELY _DANGEROUS!

_**DO **__**NOT**__** TRY THESE STUNTS AT HOME…or anywhere ELSE, for **__**that**__** matter!**_

**3) **No matter what I put here, it's still up to you, the loyal reader, to let me know what you want. _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_ (Sorry…got carried away there, but you get the idea.) Enjoy!

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**So the Reality: 'Fear Factor' (Second Stunt)**_

After the first stunt of the show was completed, the three remaining teams (Daffy & Porky, Timon & Pumbaa, and Monique & Rufus), departed from the swim complex. They joined Joe and a driver in a jet-black Hogger H123, emblazoned with the 'Fear Factor' logo on each side.

Usually, the Hogger only had seating for seven, but Rufus sat on Monique's lap for the trip. Neither one seemed to express objections to the arrangement. In fact, they seemed to be smiling at each other for the entire ride.

After a few miles, the Hogger pulled up to an old warehouse. Monique, Rufus, Daffy, and Porky took their time and carefully stepped out of the vehicle. Timon and Pumbaa sniffed the air and quickly burst out of the Hogger, making a 'bee-line' for the warehouse door.

""""""""""

Fluorescent lights gave illumination to the warehouse's interior. Two slowly-spinning fans dangled from the ceiling. The only contents of the warehouse were the show's production crew and camera equipment, a single long bench where the competitors and Joe now sat, a seven-foot-long box covered by a tarp, and two large canvas bags that slightly squirmed at times.

Joe stood up, faced the teams and said, "Six competitors, grouped as three teams, remain. The team member who did not complete the first stunt will have to complete this next stunt. You are all still in the running for the hundred thousand dollars!"

He walked over to the box and lifted the tarp. The box was revealed to be acrylic in construction. It was five feet wide and three feet deep, supported by six thick acrylic table legs which held the box nearly two feet off the ground. Chained adjustable shackles for feet and hands were situated inside the box. One side of the box had a tight, reclosable hatch on one side. Near that hatch was a loop which linked the hinged box cover to that side of the box.

The acrylic cover of the box had one-quarter-inch holes drilled on one end to allow for breathing. The lid also had two reclosable hatches—one near the side hatch, the other on end furthest from the drilled holes. The inside of the cover had a loop from which a clasp holding numerous keys dangled.

"This," Joe continued, "is your next stunt. You will be placed in this clear box with your arms and legs shackled. The shackles will be connected by loose chains to allow enough movement to reach the keys dangling from the inside of the cover. When I say 'Go', you will grab that bunch of keys and try to unlock your shackles.

"After unlocking both shackles, you will reach through the upper and/or side hatches to unlock the cover of the box and open it. Once the box is opened, 'Time' will be called and the clock will stop.

"Of course, there will be a few things keeping you from doing this _**too **_easily. As you can see, there are twelve similar-looking keys for these three locks. Only one of the twelve keys will open the hand shackles. Another one opens just the leg shackles. A third key only opens the outside lock. This means that _**nine**_ of these keys will not work on anything at all! That detail, however, will be the _**least**_ of your problems…"

At this point, Joe opened the bags so that the cameras could closely examine the live, crawling contents. He then proceeded with his explanation.

"There will be a layer of maggots from this bag under you; and this other bag, filled with over one thousand hissing cockroaches, will be poured over you before you can begin to escape from the box."

Joe held another key in his left hand and continued.

"If, at any time, you are too afraid to complete this task, just let me know. I will then use this spare outer key and immediately remove you from the box. Of course, your team will be automatically eliminated from the competition if you give up, but at least _you_ will be safe.

"Porky, since your partner finished the last stunt first, you get to determine the order of the teams for this stunt. Who's going first?"

Porky thought for a moment before turning to Joe with his response.

"R-Ru-R-Ru-R-Ru-R-_**Him!!**_" Porky stammered, pointing to Rufus.

"Rufus," said Joe, "in order to make this fair for everybody, we have an extra-small set of shackles built to scale, with the same amount of working and non-working keys."

"Okay," Rufus chattered, "No prob!"

Joe explained further, "We have also added a dangling chain to the shackle keys so you will have the same opportunity to reach them as everybody else would."

"Uh-uh", Rufus protested, "No _need!_" He then whispered something in Monique's ear. A shocked look appeared on her face as he pointed to one of the bags.

"You really think you can _do_ that?" she wondered.

"Piece of cake," he replied, giving her a 'thumbs-up' sign.

Joe, however, did not catch this little exchange.

"Are you _**sure**_ you don't need the chain?" Joe asked. "After all, the shackles and smooth box sides will prevent you from climbing up to unhook the keys from the normal loop in the top of the cover."

Monique gave a menacing glare to Joe as she growled, "My little boo _said_ he didn't need it, and I _**trust**_ him completely!" Her hands were forming into fists. "_**You got a **__**problem**__** with that?**_"

Joe tried to remain pleasant as he poured the layer of maggots into the box. "If it's okay for you," he cheerfully said, "it's okay for me."

'_Hey,'_ Joe thought to himself. _'If she doesn't want him to reach the keys, it's __**her**__ funeral, not mine. I get paid either way!'_

""""""""""

After a stunt technician used thick leather gloves to smooth out the maggot layer, he strapped a pair of goggles onto Rufus, locked the shackles, and placed the naked mole rat inside the box.

Just as Rufus was getting used to laying down on this squirming 'mattress', another stunt technician locked the outer padlock, opened the hatch on the far end of the box, and poured in the hissing cockroaches.

Once the bag of cockroaches was completely emptied into the box, Joe shouted, "Three…_Two_…_**One**_…_**GO!!**_"

Immediately upon the start of the clock, the rodent's eyes started to display a bluish tint as he began chattering in what many would consider gibberish. To the hissing cockroaches, however, it was a clear set of instructions—given with perfect diction.

The roaches began to protest, with their leader saying (translated to English for the reader), "Why should we listen to _**you?**_ Who do you think you _**are**_, Dr. Yapsby or something?"

"I'm _not_ Yapsby," Rufus calmly replied, "but my pet human, Ron, and I _humiliated_ him a few months back." The spark in his eyes grew in intensity. "Shackles or not," he went on, "I will _**gladly**_ demonstrate my prowess!"

If a cockroach could express shock, it was written all over the leader's face. He turned to the others and shouted, "Hey, guys! It's _**really**_ Rufus! Let's get crackin' already. _**MOVE IT!!**_"

"_Please and Thank You_," Rufus happily chirped, as his eyes returned to normal.

The jaws of everybody in the warehouse fell to the floor at what happened next…well, _**almost**_ everybody! Since Rufus whispered the whole plan to Monique, she just leaned back on the bench and smiled.

The roaches actually began to form…a pyramid leading up to the clasp holding the keys. After the roaches unhooked the key clasp from the cover's loop, they handed the keys to Rufus.

As Rufus began to unlock the shackles, the leader returned to Rufus and said, 'Sorry we harshed on you earlier, man!"

Rufus looked up and replied, "As my _other_ pet human, Kim, would say, 'No big!' After all, you are _hissing_ cockroaches, right?"

While Rufus and the cockroaches shared a laugh, he finished unshackling himself. A well-placed karate kick opened the side hatch. Another jump-kick opened the top hatch. Within a few seconds, he placed the correct key into the padlock, unlocked it, and jumped out of the box with a flourishing fanfare.

"_**Ta-DAAAA!**_" Rufus crowed.

"T-t-t-time!" stammered a spellbound Joe. "O-o-one m-m-minute, th-th-thirty seconds!"

"And I thought _Porky_ had a stuttering problem!" Pumbaa mumbled to Monique.

"He _does_," she chuckled. "but so does the _**two-legged**_ pig this time, that's all!"

""""""""""

After a fresh layer of maggots were spread, the cockroaches were gathered and Joe regained his composure. He turned to Porky and asked, "Okay…Who's next?"

A look of complete terror swept across Porky's face. The precision of the cockroaches' movements, the sight of the maggots, and the thought of being enclosed in a clear plastic case was just too much for him to grasp all at once. He turned to Joe and did the only thing he could…

He waved his hand at the camera and shouted, before running full-speed out of the warehouse:

"_**Th-th-th-th-that's **__**ALL**__**, Folks!!"**_

Joe looked at the still-moving warehouse door and shook his head.

"Well," he said, "that brings us down to just two teams, Monique & Rufus, and…_**Hey!**_ Where's the meerkat and the warthog?"

Before he could turn back toward the box, he heard an earth-shaking, window-rattling…

_**BUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!**_

Just when Joe thought he saw everything, he turned to see both bags and the box completely _empty_…and Timon & Pumbaa's bellies completely _full!!_

"Thanks for the grub…literally!" said Timon.

"Slimy, yet satisfying!" intoned Pumbaa.

The beady little eyes of the naked mole rat suddenly flashed a brilliant shade of blue once again.

It was all Monique could do to keep Rufus from destroying both of the other remaining competitors on the spot.

At that moment, time itself seemed to freeze. Rufus noticed that the warehouse was replaced by lush trees near a cascading waterfall. An old friend, wearing a white gi and projecting a green aura around his form, floated a few feet from where Rufus sat.

"Rufus-san, stop for a moment and consider your next actions carefully!" the friend gently said in perfect Mole-Rat.

"Master Sensei, is that you?" squeaked Rufus.

"Of _course_ it is me, my little student. I must soon return to your '_pet human, Ron_' as you call him. Thus, I will try to be brief.

"Soon, Stoppable-san will face his greatest challenge yet. Worry not, Rufus-san! I am confident in his ever-growing abilities to face and conquer his worst imaginable fear—and no...it's _**not**_ about the monkeys!"

"You sure could have fooled _me!_" chuckled Rufus.

"My brave little warrior," Sensei continued, "you _**also**_ have a great challenge before you—to maintain your honor and dignity in the face of what you believe to be a grave injustice."

After some deep thought and 'soul-searching', Rufus realized the true wisdom of Sensei's words.

"I understand completely, Master. I will spare these two ungrateful souls." Rufus said while bowing in deep respect to Sensei.

"A wise decision, Rufus-san," Sensei declared. "I realize you formed a bond with the cockroaches in your short time together. However, it _was_ their destiny to be eaten in this manner. Even the Cafeteria Lady's 'mystery meat' _**is**_ meat of some sort…I _think!_" This drew laughs from both of them.

"Be well, Rufus-san," he concluded as he drifted into the distance.

"Bu-bye!" squeaked Rufus as he waved to the fading image of Sensei.

""""""""""

Rufus found himself back in the warehouse. He saw that Joe was getting sick outside, Timon and Pumbaa were dozing as if they just completed a Thanksgiving meal, and Monique was giving him a look of concern.

"Who were you waving at, Ru?" Monique inquired.

"S' ok, Mo!" Rufus chirped, his eyes returning to their usual black pupils.

"MMP, huh?"

"Yup, yup!"

Joe re-entered the warehouse long enough to turn to the camera and say, "When we come back, it's an unusual game of darts for our remaining teams!"

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**Author's ending notes:**_

**1) **_**Before anyone attempts to assume the role of the 'Morality Police',**_ I assure you I am _**QUITE**_ familiar with the FanFiction guidelines for 'K+'-rated stories.

A verbatim copy of those guidelines appears below:

"_**Suitable for more mature childen, 9 years and older, with minor action violence without serious injury. May contain mild coarse language. Should not contain any adult themes."**_

In a recent review I gave for another story, I had to remind someone else of those guidelines. I felt that the author 'crossed the line' when they had a minor character die by poisoning.

Before chastising me in the same fashion, keep in mind a situation happened in a _**G-rated movie**_ featuring two of this chapter's characters that was similar to what happened here! To _further_ prove the appropriate nature of the 'K+' rating on this chapter, I also cite a 1973 book read by _millions_ of 9-year-old children, 'How to Eat Fried Worms' by Thomas Rockwell.

_**Bottom line…**_

People killing people…_**BAD!!**_ Animals eating their normal lunch…_**GOOD!!**_

_**I rest my case, Your Honor!**_

**2)** As many of you have probably gathered already, this story shares the timeline for 'So the Reality: Amazing Race'. Ron's 'great challenge', mentioned by Sensei, happens in Chapter 5 of that story (Leg 4-a, Brazil to South Africa). No spoilers here, though. You will have to read (_and hopefully review_) that story for yourself!

**3)** The production of this story, like that for any work of fiction, is solely dependent upon the _constructive_ feedback of its readers. If you like it, I will gladly make more. If you can think of ways to make it better, I am _always_ open to suggestions. If you really think it's a piece of garbage, _stop_ me before I strike again!! As always, _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_

Your friend in writing,

The Samurai Crunchbird


	3. Darts & A Twist

_**My disclaimer for the entire **__**So The Reality**__** series:**_

I know Disney owns "Kim Possible"...lock, stock, and Rufus.

Before I get done, I will probably tick off a few more studios, too.

If they want to sue me, they have to get behind all my other creditors.

Since I am in south Florida, the line has formed to the right

…and goes all the way to Sacramento!

""""""""""

_**Opening notes:**_

**1) **Thanks to all who have reviewed this story so far. I have to respond to one comment in particular. In her review of Chapter One, AlyssC01 pointed out that turtles are reptiles…not amphibians.

In the scientific sense, _she is __**absolutely**__** right!**_ In an episode of the original 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles', however, Raphael scolded Shredder for wanting to 'destroy those reptiles'. He shouted back at Shredder, "We're not reptiles…we're _**amphibians!!**_"

I received some reviews in the 'Amazing Race' story from those concerned about the racers being 'out of character'. I pointed out how a competition for a million dollars could bring almost anybody 'out of character', as it had done to many of the racers in the actual series.

Since I could not truly employ that rationale here, I used the amphibian line in an attempt to keep these characters…well…in character.

Thank you, Alyss, for 'keeping me honest'! I truly appreciate that.

**2)** The stunts in this story have numerous safeguards and are performed by _**cartoon**_ characters. In real life, all of these stunts are _EXTREMELY_ DANGEROUS!

_**DO **__**NOT**__** TRY THESE STUNTS AT HOME…or anywhere ELSE, for **__**that**__** matter!**_

**3) **No matter what I put here, it's still up to you, the loyal reader, to let me know what you want. _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_ (Sorry…got carried away there, but you get the idea.) Enjoy!

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**So the Reality: 'Fear Factor' (Third Stunt)**_

Joe's stomach became much calmer after his double-dose of Pepto-Seltzer. He proceeded to wake up Timon & Pumbaa. Monique & Rufus joined them as they left the warehouse and boarded the Hogger H123.

Even though the Hogger now had plenty of room for each competitor to comfortably rest, Rufus remained content on Monique's lap for the trip. He curled up in the pocket of her cargo pants and took a nap. She couldn't help but smile as he grinned and mumbled her name a couple of times more in his deep slumber.

'_I think the little guy really __**likes**__ me!'_ she mused in thought. _'He even gave me some __**Bueno Bucks**__ last Valentine's Day—which is better than anything any __**boy**__ ever gave me!'_

Monique sighed as she looked down at her sleeping little friend…

…_Once Rufus initially found out about Monique's love for the GWA and Bueno Nacho, his heart had developed a soft spot for her._ _As the months passed since they first met, he witnessed the many setbacks she suffered on the dating front._

_Most of the boys who pursued her just wanted to boost their own popularity by her association with Team Possible. A few of them, however, had less-than-honorable intentions. Regardless of their ulterior motives, they were __**all**__ 'kicked to the curb' swiftly, yet with an increasing amount of heartbreak after each departure…_

""""""""""

About twenty minutes later, the Hogger pulled up to an airstrip. Joe and the remaining teams donned 'Fear Factor' jumpsuits, thick goggles, helmets, gloves, boots, padding for knees and elbows, and parachute packs.

Joe's gear was all in black. Timon & Pumbaa's outfits were a matching yellow color. Rufus & Monique's gear was green from head to toe. The boots had color-matching paintballs attached to their soles that were retracted until a button on the side of each boot was pressed.

'_No __**wonder**__ Shego turned evil!'_ Monique thought. _'If I had to wear this ugly green get-up all the time, __**I'd**__ probably go postal, too!'_

She looked out the window and noticed an oddly-painted cornfield out in the distance. Upon closer examination, the painted field resembled…a dart board?

As the plane flew closer to the drop site, Joe addressed the yellow and green teams with his headset microphone.

"Okay," he began, "four competitors, grouped as two teams, are left. The first two stunts were done individually. This next stunt is done as a team. You are all still in the running for the hundred thousand dollars!

"Here is your next stunt. As I mentioned before the break, this is an unusual game of darts. When I say 'Go', each team member will jump out of the plane in ten second intervals, press the buttons to activate the paintballs on your boot soles, open your chutes, and try to score points by landing on the 'dart board' field below. The initial impact of the paintball soles on the board will mark your official score for this stunt.

"The board is painted in proportion to a regulation dart board, complete with the standard 'double-point' zones, 'triple-point' zones, a twenty-five point 'outer bulls-eye', and a fifty-point 'inner bulls-eye'. If you land on a line, the zone with the most paint upon your initial landing will be counted as your official score.

"After all of you have jumped, the team with the lowest combined score will be eliminated from the competition."

This last statement puzzled Monique a little bit. _'Since there are only __**two**__ teams left,'_ she wondered in thought, _'why didn't he just say the team with the best score would win it all?'_

""""""""""

Joe turned to the smallest member of the green team and said, "Rufus, you won the last challenge and your team had the fastest time from the first stunt, of the teams that are still here. Who's going first for this one?"

It took less than a second for Rufus to make his decision.

"_**Them!**_" he shouted, pointing to the blue team of Timon & Pumbaa.

Timon assumed the 'jump position' first, with Pumbaa close behind.

"Get ready, guys!" Joe shouted. "In Three…_Two_…_**One**_…_**GO!!**_"

As Timon & Pumbaa began their jump, they had no issues activating the paintball boots or their parachutes. In each of their jumps, they aimed for the bulls-eye.

Timon guided his chute toward the bulls-eye, adjusting every few feet for changes in wind speed and direction. His aim and determination were rewarded as he hit the fifty-point 'inner' (or 'double') bulls-eye.

Pumbaa had issues steering his chute, probably because he had hooves instead of hands to try pulling the ropes. Through sheer luck, he landed in the three-point zone. However, his first foot touched down in the 'triple-point' area. His nine points (three times three) were added to Timon's fifty points, for a combined score of fifty-nine points.

While Timon & Pumbaa were still airborne, Rufus saw their strategy. He, however, had a better idea. He whispered his intended target plans to Monique. Once she heard about the flaw in the blue team's plan, a sly smile crept across her face.

"Of course!" she said. "Why didn't I realize that sooner?"

""""""""""

Joe shouted back to Monique & Rufus, "Okay, you two. You have to beat fifty-nine points to prevent being eliminated."

"If we beat that total, does that mean we win?" asked Monique.

Joe ignored her and shouted, "Three…_Two_…_**One**_…_**GO!!**_"

Monique jumped first and engaged her boots. As she deployed her chute, Rufus began his jump. She had about five hundred feet to go before she reached the ground. Suddenly, a large gust of wind picked up her chute and knocked her completely off-course. She struggled to turn her chute back toward the dart board, but only managed to land just outside the scoring area.

Rufus was thankful Monique was safe, but he was still concerned that she completely missed the board. This only served to steel his resolve about following through with his plan.

Monique was heartbroken when she realized her failure to score any points on her landing. Her sadness turned to shock when she looked up and saw Rufus. He was less than seven hundred feet from the ground. The remote camera showed that he already activated his boots, but he had yet to deploy his chute.

"This was _not_ part of the original plan," she gasped.

With just over five hundred feet to go, he finally opened his chute and executed several maneuvers usually performed only by the most experienced paratroopers. He gently floated into the middle of twenty-point zone…more specifically, the '_**triple-point**_' section of the twenty-point zone. His perfect score of sixty points gave a one-point victory to his team.

"_**BOO-YEAAAAAH!!**_" Rufus screamed at the top of his lungs, beating his chest like an ape-man from the jungle.

"_**Way to go, Ru!**_" Monique shouted as she hugged him and showered him with kisses.

He _was _going to say, "No big," but he thought it best to enjoy this affection from _**His**_ Monique while he could get it…

…_Monique thought it was cute and sweet when Rufus offered to be her date for the junior prom. She was especially touched when he presented her with a white-orchid corsage and a ride to the prom in a stretch limousine. _

_Once he __literally__ pushed Kim and Ron together after their return to the prom, Rufus joined Monique at a nearby table. He even tried to place his hand on hers while she looked dreamily at the happy couple on the dance floor._

_At that moment, Rufus hoped that Monique would realize love was right there beside her, like his 'pet humans' had just found in each other. Sadly, she was just too engrossed in watching her two best friends dance to even feel the touch of his hand._

_Monique thought her romantic luck was __finally__ changing when Brick 'excused' Bonnie so he could hang with __her__ instead. She began to look at him with stars in her eyes._

_Just as Monique and Brick began to strike up a conversation, Bonnie ran out of the gym in tears. Brick muttered a quick 'I'm sorry' toward Monique and ran after Bonnie to begin the groveling process._

_Back in the limousine, Monique sobbed with her head in her hands. Rufus did his best to console her, but it did not appear to be working._

'_**If only I were human,' he lamented in thought, 'I'd make DARN sure she would **__**NEVER**__** get hurt like this again!!'**_

"_I can't believe Brick played me like that just to get back at Bonnie!" she wailed. "I mean, what's __wrong__ with me, Ru? Is it my hair? Are my legs too short? Are my hips too big? Is my behind too small? Is it because of all those hours I spend working at CB? Why can't someone just love me for ME?"_

_She was crying too loudly to hear a faint voice beside her plead, "__**I**__ luv!" as tiny arms gave a her a heart-felt embrace…_

…His head was brought back to reality as Monique was hollering, "We won! _We won!_ _**WE WOOONNN!!!**_"

"_**NOT**_ so fast, Monique!" came a voice from behind her. She turned around and saw Joe with a stern look on his face. The Hogger H123 pulled up next to him after his words jolted Monique from her celebratory dancing with Rufus.

"_**Say WHAAAT??**_" Monique shouted after she placed Rufus safely on the ground.

"It's not over yet, my dear." Joe responded. At this point, Monique threw him up against the Hogger and grabbed his shirt. She lifted him a few inches off the ground as she tried to get some answers.

"Boy," she began, "don't you _'my dear'_ **ME**, you bug-crawling, water-logging, scene-stealing, bikini-chasing, Uber-Fighting CHUMP-ionship **REJECT!!**"

Monique's grip on Joe's shirt tightened as she raised him further from the ground.

"You got some **serious** splainin' to do! We are the _**last**_ team left, and you say '**It's not **_**over**_** yet**'? Either _**you**_ spill or your _**blood**_ will spill! _**CHOOSE**__**, Fool!!!**__"_

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**Author's ending notes:**_

**1) **Oh, don't you just _**love**_ cliffhangers??? (He-he-he-heeeee!) And here's the best part…If you have _**truly**_ been paying attention to the whole story, you have already figured out what Joe meant!

**2)** Yes, many other writers have already put in their 'two cents' about the aftermath of 'So the Drama'. I thought I would incorporate mine to add a little balance to this story and explain why Rufus thought of Monique as '_**His**_ Monique'.

**3)** The production of this story, like that for any work of fiction, is solely dependent upon the _constructive_ feedback of its readers. If you like it, I will gladly make more. If you think of ways to make it better, I am always open to suggestions. If you really think it's a piece of garbage, stop me before I strike again!! Once again, _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_

Your friend in writing,

The Samurai Crunchbird


	4. Cables & A Dilemma

_**My disclaimer for the entire **__**So The Reality**__** series:**_

I know Disney owns "Kim Possible"...lock, stock, and Rufus.

Before I get done, I will probably tick off a few more studios, too.

If they want to sue me, they have to get behind all my other creditors.

Since I am in south Florida, the line has formed to the right

…and goes all the way to Sacramento!

""""""""""

_**Opening notes:**_

**1) **Thanks to the reviews so far from…

_**SILVER LEVEL**_ (One chapter each): _**Solarstone**_ (1), _**duckypenga**_ (1), _**FireStorm2K7**_ (2, plus 'Story Alert' tag), and _**karenstern05**_ (3).

_**GOLD LEVEL**_ (Two or more chapters): _**Darkon Shadows **__(ALL 3 CHAPTERS!),_ _**lxk**_ (1 and 2, plus 'Story Alert' tag), _**King in Yellow**_ (2 and 3), _**Ran Hakubi**_ (2 and 3, plus 'Story Alert' tag), _**AlyssC01**_ (1 and 3, plus beautiful flowers with each communication. For you… _**88--;--**_ For some reason, the 'at' sign usually at the top of the flower is not being read by the FF server tonight. Sorry).

_**Since writers get no money for their work on this site, I cherish each review like gold.**_

**2) _BTW_**, if you want a 'sneak peak' at some of the concepts for my _**future**_ 'So the Reality' stories, check out my Chapter 1 review of Ran Hakubi's story, 'The Next Contestant'.

Oh, yeah…you might as well read _that_ story while you're there... : ' )

**3)** The stunts in this story have numerous safeguards and are performed by _**cartoon**_ characters. In real life, all of these stunts are _EXTREMELY_ DANGEROUS!

_**DO **__**NOT**__** TRY THESE STUNTS AT HOME…or anywhere ELSE, for **__**that**__** matter!**_

**4) **No matter what I put here, it's still up to you, the loyal reader, to let me know what you want. _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_ (Sorry…got carried away there, but you get the idea.) Enjoy!

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**So the Reality: 'Fear Factor' (Final Stunt)**_

_Monique's grip on Joe's shirt tightened as she raised him further from the ground._

"_You got some __**serious**__ splainin' to do! We are the __**last**__ team left, and you say '__**It's not over**__'? Either __**you**__ spill or your __**blood**__ will spill! __**CHOOSE**__**, Fool!!!**__"_

"Okay, okay," Joe cried out, "I'll talk! Just put me down, already."

After Monique let Joe unceremoniously drop to the ground, he took a few seconds to catch his breath and gather himself.

Joe was very careful in choosing his words as he addressed Rufus and Monique. "If you recall," he said, "I said at the beginning of this day's events, _'There are eight competitors grouped as four teams today. One of you will conquer your fears and walk out of here a hundred thousand dollars richer!'_ I did _**not**_ say, 'One of you _teams_'. I said, 'One of _**you**_'!!"

Looks of utter confusion were written the faces of both teammates.

Joe tried to explain himself further. "You will not be _**splitting**_ the one hundred thousand dollar prize. There will be one final stunt, pitting the two of you **against** each other for the _**whole**__** thing!**_"

"And just what happens," Monique protested, "if one of us refuses to perform this 'final stunt' of yours?"

"Just like any of the other stunts," Joe responded, "if either of you refuses to do this, _**both **_of you will be eliminated. Because you are the last team, that means the money would not be awarded at all. It would not be the _first_ time that has happened, so we are not above doing it again!"

"But," Monique wailed, almost in tears, "I _**wuv**_ my wittle Ru! I don't wanna _fight_ him!"

She once again held Rufus in her arms as she sobbed…

…_Rufus survived numerous life-threatening missions with Team Possible, countless hours in Ron's locker, and each of these stunts so far._

_None of that could have prepared him for the rush of emotion he felt at that moment. _

'_Could this actually be __happening__?' Rufus thought as his heart began to triple its normal pulse rate. 'Does she __**truly**__ love me? Oh, it would be the greatest feeling in the __**world**__ if it were really so!!!'_

_He instantly wanted to shout his love for Monique from every nearby rooftop. With every physical fiber of his existence, he wanted to whisk Monique away from all the stunt nonsense right then and there._

_Before he could even move, a sudden feeling of responsibility struck him with the force of a thousand fists. Deep in his soul, he knew he had to give her one more opportunity to earn that money she needed for college. She would never forgive him if he caused her to give up this one last chance at making her lifetime dreams come true…_

"S' ok, 'Nique," Rufus chattered as he looked into her eyes, "we do it!"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she sniffed as she stroked his hairless back.

"Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Yup-yup!" Rufus responded. He put on his bravest face possible as his little heart was starting to crumble. He knew it was tearing up _**His**_ Monique inside. Still, he remembered what Sensei taught him once…

'_**It matters not if a choice is easy or hard…only if it is right or wrong.'**_

""""""""""

Just before the sun began to set on downtown Go City, the two former teammates stood on a thirtieth-floor balcony of a high-rise apartment building. Spotlights were shining on two sets of cables. The cables were securely attached from that balcony to a slightly lower balcony of another building across the street. One set of cables had a six-foot gap between the upper and lower cables. The other set had a much smaller gap. Fifteen yellow flags, each displaying the 'Fear Factor' logo, dangled from the upper line of each set of cables.

Joe stood on the balcony where the cables ended. Using a bullhorn, he shouted to the two friends, "Monique…Rufus…for _**one hundred thousand dollars**_, here is your final stunt…

"You will stand on the lower of your two cables. Holding on to the upper cable with your arms, you will cross from that building to this one. Along the way, you have to grab as many flags as you can before reaching this balcony. The one who grabs the most flags will take home the money. It's as simple as that!

"If you each grab the same amount of flags, the fastest time crossing from one balcony to the other will serve as the tiebreaker.

"Rufus, since you scored the highest on the dart board, you choose who goes first."

"Nique," moaned Rufus into a microphone, before giving her one more hug.

Monique soon donned the proper safety equipment and harnesses. She carefully placed her weight on the lower cable. Soon, she let go of the balcony, grabbing the upper cable with her outstretched arms. After a few seconds, she gained her balance and gave Joe a 'thumbs up' sign.

"Okay, Monique," Joe shouted, "Three…_Two_…_**One**_…_**GO!!**_"

Monique carefully crept along the cables. She scrambled to pick up nearly every flag on the way over to the other balcony. On two occasions, her attempt to grab a flag almost caused her to fall form the lower wire. She knew time was also of the essence, so she did not go back for them.

Joe soon shouted out her official results.

"Thirteen flags in two minutes, twenty-five seconds flat. Good job!" he hollered, pointing the bullhorn toward the balcony where Rufus still stood.

"Rufus," he continued, "you must _**beat**_ thirteen flags _or_ grab thirteen flags _**faster**_ than two minutes twenty-five seconds to win. Are you ready?"

Rufus, fully outfitted with proportionally sized safety equipment and harnesses, gave a 'thumbs-up' sign as he climbed onto his set of cables.

Joe called out, "This is for all the money…Three…_Two_…_**One**_…_**GO!!**_"

The small feet of Rufus were a disadvantage as far as maintaining balance on the lower cable. Still, his small frame provided fewer issues with wind resistance. His precision skills were put to the test, but he managed to remove every flag from the upper cable…

…_The clock in his head was telling Rufus that he was easily thirty seconds faster than Monique. His mind went back to the scenarios it covered just before he agreed to do this stunt. Once again, he had to make a tough choice. He prayed it was once again made the right choice, no matter how difficult it really was…_

…It took Rufus less than two minutes to reach the fifteenth flag. Everybody who witnessed this display of agility knew that for the naked mole rat, victory was merely a few feet away…

…_**or so they thought!**_

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**Author's ending notes:**_

**1) **To answer my notes question from the last chapter…Yes, I _**love**_ cliffhangers!!! Did he win?? What happened afterwards?? I apologize for the relatively short chapter. All will be answered in the final chapter, 'Fear of Heartbreak'!

**2)** Actually, you have _**King in Yellow**_ to thank for this latest 'cliffie'. I think _**this**_ punishment is worse than what he suggested I might do to him at the end of his Chapter Two review. (He-he-he-heeeee!)

_**This**_ was supposed to be the last chapter! It originally included the full 'final stunt'; but it also included the heart-breaking aftermath. He made a suggestion regarding ways to keep the plot from getting bogged down. The plot seemed to split rather neatly into two pieces between the stunt and the aftermath. That's why I put in this second cliffhanger.

**3)** The production of this story, like that for any work of fiction, is solely dependent upon the _constructive_ feedback of its readers. If you like it, I will gladly make more. If you think of ways to make it better, I am always open to suggestions. If you really think it's a piece of garbage, stop me before I strike again!! Once again, _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_

Your friend in writing,

The Samurai Crunchbird


	5. Victory & Heartbreak

_**My disclaimer for the entire **__**So The Reality**__** series:**_

I know Disney owns "Kim Possible"...lock, stock, and Rufus.

Before I get done, I will probably tick off a few more studios, too.

If they want to sue me, they have to get behind all my other creditors.

Since I am in south Florida, the line has formed to the right

…and goes all the way to Sacramento!

""""""""""

_**Opening notes:**_

**1) **I want to thank all who have reviewed this story. For chapter 4, I have 'felt the love' so far from _**Ran Hakubi**_, _**FireStorm2K7**_, _**lxk**_, _**King in Yellow**_, _**Gray Cardinal**_, _**taylowwjd**_, _**Darkon Shadows**_, _**karenstern05**_, and _**brunettedudette**_. Some of you have even tagged the story as either a Story Alert or a Favorite.

_**To **__**all**__** of you, I am most grateful!!!**_

When I first started writing, I never thought I would generate this much response. At more than one point, I had thought about just posting one last 'one-shot' story and calling it quits. I still have that story in my hard drive, but it will only be released in case of an extreme emergency. I hope it never comes to that.

I just hope this last chapter, along with my upcoming work, will live up to your expectations.

**2)** While I am on the subject of reviews, I want to take a moment to talk about another project on which I have been working. Another writer, _**snapbang**_, has written an epic story, called 'When Heroes Fall'. It is actually the fourth and final tale in his 'Redemption' arc. _**I must say, however, it IS rated 'T'. Please use discretion for younger readers.**_

In my first review, I suggested he use a 'beta-reader' to clean up his spelling and grammar issues. He issued a challenge by offering that position to me.

It has actually been a lengthy process to put it all together. Snapbang writes rough drafts and passes them to one of the deans of the KP universe, _**captainkodak1**_, for some input. Once _**snapbang**_ takes that input and 're-writes' the chapters, they go to _**me**_ for polishing of spelling and grammar. _**Only**_ after all that work is done, he finally posts the chapters.

The first six chapters of 'Heroes Fall' are already posted. After _**all**_ this work and effort on the part of three very creative minds (well…two creative minds and a schmuck like me), it has only received _**eleven**_ reviews. That's an average of less than _**TWO**_ reviews per chapter!!

When you're done with this chapter, type 'snapbang' in the FanFiction 'search' box, find his story, and give it some love (and reviews), OK? _**Please-and-thank-you!!**_

**3)** The stunts in this story have numerous safeguards and are performed by _**cartoon**_ characters. In real life, all of these stunts are _EXTREMELY_ DANGEROUS!

_**DO **__**NOT**__** TRY THESE STUNTS AT HOME…or anywhere ELSE, for **__**that**__** matter!**_

**4) **No matter what I put here, it's still up to you, the loyal reader, to let me know what you want. _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_ (Sorry…got carried away there, but you get the idea.) Enjoy!

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**So the Reality: 'Fear Factor' (Conclusion)**_

…It took Rufus less than two minutes to reach the fifteenth flag. Everybody who witnessed this display of agility knew that for the naked mole rat, victory was merely a few feet away…

…_**or so they thought!**_

Just before he grabbed the lower balcony's railing, he frowned, muttered something Monique could not quite hear, and slightly loosened his grip on the flags. Three of the pennants fluttered away, harmlessly landing on the street below.

"Twelve flags, Rufus!" Joe screamed in genuine astonishment. "Aww, _**man!!**_ I'm so _sorry_, little guy. You fought like a true warrior today, but it was _just not enough!_"

Rufus didn't care about the competition at that moment. He was too busy hugging Monique in celebration of her victory. _**His**_ Monique was happy, so he was happy…he guessed.

Joe soon approached Monique with a large 'poster board' document in his hands.

"Monique," Joe said, "you lasted through a watery maze, and skydiving dart game, and the suspended cables. Apparently, fear is not a factor for you. Here is your _One Capitol_ check for _**one hundred thousand dollars!**_"

With one arm, Monique held up the check in victory. With the other arm, she continued to cuddle Rufus for all he was worth. Nobody noticed the slight bit of guilt that was starting to appear on his face…

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**TWO **__**WEEKS **__**LATER**_

Kim and Ron had just returned to Middleton that morning from their 'Amazing Race' victory. After Ron's parents picked them up at the airport, they swung by Monique's house to take Rufus home. His parents spent the morning showering praise upon their son—first for the 'Race', then the proposal.

Ron was too distracted by his parents and Hana to notice Rufus. The naked mole rat quickly scampered up the steps to Ron's room, not waiting for his pet human to ask about the 'Fear Factor' competition.

As Ron's parents were grilling him about such details as the religious denomination for the ceremony, he looked at his watch.

"Mom, Dad," Ron said, "I promised I would go to Monique's house to fix lunch for her and Kim. It's my payment to her for watching Rufus while I was gone."

His parents nodded approvingly, and Ron raced out the door. Had he passed by his room on the way out, he could have heard a faint, high-pitched crying sound from inside.

""""""""""

After Ron completed his culinary task and returned home, Kim was sitting with Monique in her room. She spilled all the details about the 'around-the-world' mission—and Ron's heart-felt proposal.

"K, how _**DARE**_ you play that boy…even for a few seconds…before saying 'Yes!'??" screamed Monique.

"Well," Kim meekly said in her defense, "he _**did**_ say, 'just before college'. I thought we could have a better chance at a decent honeymoon right after graduation. I just had to take enough time to choose the right words. You know how he really has to have things spelled out sometimes."

"True that."

"_And..._so far, we also raised over a _hundred **million** dollars_ for the Diablo Relief Fund!"

"Kim, you just _never_ stop trying to save the world, huh?"

"To quote a wise friend, 'True that'!"

Both girls giggled as Monique turned on her monitor and woke her computer from its 'sleep mode'.

"So, Mo," Kim continued, "how did you and Rufus do with 'Fear Factor'?"

Monique pointed to her desktop photo and said, "See for yourself."

The photo showed Monique seated with the 'poster board' check in front of her. On the table next to her, Rufus stood, raising her right arm like a referee indicating a champion.

Still, Kim's keen observation skills noticed something wrong with this picture.

She turned to Monique and pondered, "Do you see the look on his face when the picture was taken?"

Monique stared at the face of Rufus for a moment.

"I dunno, Kim," she finally responded. "He seems to be smiling…but it looks a little forced. It's like he's worried about something."

"Have you talked to him after the two of you got back?"

"Not really, K. He has either been asleep or too busy using the virtual keyboard on the Kimmunicator to say anything. Every time I tried to see what he was typing, he turned away from me and shut it off. Do you think he's okay? I mean, I'm really starting to worry about h—"

An e-mail notification tone interrupted her sentence. On her screen, a little box displayed the following:

_**New Message**_

_**From: Ron**_

_**Sent: Today at 12:17pm**_

Monique pondered as she read e-mail header, "Hmmmm…Now why would _Ron_ send _**me**_ an e-mail?"

"Maybe he was trying to reach _me_." Kim responded. "I mean, he may have broken his Kimmunicator…_**again!**_"

"No, K…according to the time it was sent, Ron was still here making us that awesome lunch."

"Then that means it must have been sent by…"

"Rufus!" they said together.

"_Jinx!_ You owe me a soda!" Kim chimed.

"Like you don't have _enough_ soda in that storage shed of yours, girl?"

"Good point, Mo."

"I mean, you'll probably _**still**_ be serving the _last_ of that stuff at your reception!"

"You…want a little privacy while you read the message, right?"

"To quote a wise friend, 'Please and Thank You'!"

Kim chuckled as she walked toward the kitchen for a glass of lemonade.

""""""""""

Ron got home from Monique's house and walked into his room. He found his long-time friend, Rufus, passed out from exhaustion on his G. I. Jack cot-and-mattress set.

Knowing the usual sleeping habits of his buddy, Ron expected to see Rufus taking a nap.

What did surprise Ron, however, was the paleness of the rodent's skin. It was as if he hadn't eaten in nearly a week. Furthermore, he noticed that the little pillow of the sleep set was completely soaked. It felt as if it was drenched in…tears?

He had to wake up Rufus…and fast!

Ron ran to the refrigerator for a chunk of 'Baby Swiss' cheese, waved it in front of the nose of Rufus like a trainer with 'smelling salts', and tried to jostle him awake.

"Rufus," Ron screamed, "speak to me, buddy!"

Rufus stirred a little and saw Ron holding his favorite cheese. In one flowing motion, he flicked the cheese out of Ron's hand, gave his 'pet human' a hug, and began crying all over again. Ron _really_ became worried at this point.

"What's wrong?" Ron pleaded. "Didn't Monique take good care of you?"

"_**Love** 'Nique!_" Rufus sobbed into Ron's jersey.

"Yeah," Ron smiled in agreement, "she's a good friend to have. She has always helped us out whenever—"

Rufus shouted at the top of his little lungs, "_NO!! __**LOVE**__** 'NIQUE!!!**_"

With that outburst, he showed Ron a print-out of the message he sent earlier to the object of his affection…

""""""""""

Monique quickly opened the e-mail message from Rufus, hoping it could shed some light on his recent behavior…

"_My dearest Monique, _

_I hope you don't mind me using e-mail to get my message to you. It was the best way I could say all I needed to say at once._

_My vocal chords are limited at best, making me sound like some babbling idiot! There is no way I could ever express half of these thoughts to you with the way I talk._

_Sure, I could have spelled out my feelings with a hand-written note. The 'writer's cramp' would have been unbearable, though._

_So, here goes everything…_

_The first time I saw you, I was a little apprehensive. You were taking up a large portion of Kim's time and causing Ron to be ignored. He fell into another one of his grande-sized funks. You gotta admit he craves a **lot** of attention for someone who constantly shuns the spotlight._

_It was only after I saw your face light up at the mention of the Pain King that I thought you could be a good friend. Once you took Ron down in that burrito-eating contest at Bueno Nacho, I **knew** you were one of a kind!_

_I've seen all the posers come and go who have tried to make you just another trophy on their mantle. **I know you deserve better than that!!**_

_With all my heart, I wish I could show you just how much my love has grown for you over the last two years. I know I can never do that, though…I'm a __**naked mole rat**__, for crying out loud!_

_If I **could** be human, it would be my **honor** to treat you like the princess you really are inside…and continue to prove my love for you every day until we both leave this plane of existence."_

…Monique gasped at these last three paragraphs. Sure, she poured out her dating troubles to Rufus, and he provided a sympathetic ear. She still had no idea he ever thought _**this**_ way about her!

With a lump in her throat, she continued reading the message…

"_I've seen your portfolio of design sketches. Mo, your creations make Coco Banana look like the fabric clerk at Smarty Mart! You have all the talent, imagination, and passion to become one of the world's greatest designers. You just need the chance to __**showcase**__ that talent, __**reach**__ those dreams, and __**secure**__ your true destiny as a superstar in the fashion industry!_

_I know you have been having trouble scraping up the cash for college. I have seen how hard you have worked all summer trying to make that dream a reality. _

_That's why I wanted so badly to help you win on 'Fear Factor'. Ron and Kim went off to Omaha, which left me as your best chance to win. With my MMP, I was confident we could stand up to whatever that loser Joe could throw at us._

_Besides…unlike any __**human**__ you could have picked, I was going to give you my half of the money as a Christmas gift. I mean, think about it for a moment…I'm a five-inch rodent who just needs some tender loving care. What would __**I**__ need with fifty thousand dollars, anyway?_

_It was all going according to plan…until that last stinking stunt of theirs. That's where my heart became torn._

_It could have only ended one of three ways:_

_**One, either you or I would have refused to do the stunt.**__ They said they were not above refusing to award any money at all. That immediately ruled out this option, because it would have defeated the whole purpose for our surviving all that nonsense._

_**Two, I would have defeated you and won the money. **__I nixed that option, because I didn't want to hurt your feelings or cause you to resent me in any way. With a partnership, the show producers would not have cared if one partner gave their money to the other one. With this situation, they would have looked at any money I would have given to you as paying off a bribe, and would have sued both of us to get it back._

_My dear, sweet Monique, no amount of money in the world can fill the hole in my heart if I ever lose you, **even if that **_**_can__ only be as a friend._**

_**Three, you would have defeated me and won the money.**__ This was the only scenario where I figured everybody would be satisfied. The producers would get an exciting finish, you would get your college money, and I would fulfill my desire to help make your dreams come true._

_As I was finishing the stunt, I realized I got all fifteen flags in less than two minutes and was just about to set foot on that balcony. This would have ruined everything, as I said in 'Option Two'._

_At that moment, I had to make my most difficult choice ever…honorably give my best effort, or making an honorable sacrifice for you."_

…'**Honorable sacrifice?**' Monique realized in horror. '**Oh, ****no**** he **_**didn't!**_'

As she continued to read, she gasped, '**Oh, ****yes**** he **_**did!**_'…

"_I saw the look of defeat and heartbreak in your eyes as I neared that balcony. I didn't want you to think of me as the one who shattered your dreams._

_I muttered a prayer for God to forgive me as I let those three flags drop from my hand._

_You were so happy to win, and the cameras were all over us. I couldn't tell you what I did **then.**_

_Once we got home, I felt ashamed about what I did. I couldn't face you. I even pretended to be asleep when you kept checking on me._

_My dear, sweet, precious Monique…I do not expect you to do so, but can you ever find it in your heart to **forgive** me for what I have done?_

_I just wanted you to reach your dreams. I didn't want it to come at the price of our…friendship!_

_Your 'Little Ru' until the end of time itself,_

_Rufus"_

""""""""""

Once Kim finished her lemonade, she heard the sound of crying in the direction of Monique's room. She rushed out of the kitchen to find her friend.

"Mo," Kim called out, "are you OK?"

"You gotta read this, K!" Monique sobbed, pointing to the message still on the screen.

Kim stared at the screen. Her face was frozen in shock for a moment as Monique continued to weep.

"I can't believe," Monique wailed, "he did all that for me…_for __**ME!!**_"

Kim quickly regained her senses and pushed a button on her Kimmunicator.

"Ron," she barked, "where's Rufus? It's an emergency!"

"Yeah," Ron responded, "he showed me a print-out of the letter he wrote."

"They need to talk!" said both Kim and Ron in unison.

"Ji—"

"_**FORGET**__** the jinx, KP!**_ We're on our way!!"

"NO!" screamed Rufus. "NO HURT 'NIQUE!"

"Dude," Ron countered as he grabbed Rufus, "that ship has already sailed. Let's get moving!"

""""""""""

Monique didn't even wait until Ron finished knocking on the door before she pulled him and Rufus into the house. She was quick to grab Rufus and smother him with hugs and kisses.

Rufus broke away long enough to take a pen and write on a nearby pad, "Forgive?"

"_Forgive_ you?" Monique cried, "I _**love**_ you, Ru!"

They once again embraced, holding each other long enough for even Kim and Ron to begin feeling uncomfortable.

Rufus and Monique turned to the two of them and smiled.

"Hey," Monique said to Kim and Ron, "Stranger things have happened. I mean, look at the two of _**you!**_"

All of them laughed as they embraced in a group hug.

_**-- -- -- -- -- --**_

_**(END CREDITS)**_

_**CREATIVE CREDIT---CARTOONS**_

**All **_**'Kim Possible'**_** references---Disney.**

All _'Lion King'_ references---Yep...that was Disney, too.

All _'Looney Tunes'_ references---Warner Brothers

All _'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'_ references---Mirage Studios

_**--- --- --- ---**_

_**CREATIVE CREDIT---OTHER 'NON-ORIGINAL' WORKS**_

All _'Fear Factor'_ references---Endemol USA/NBC Productions

All _'Amazing Race'_ references---Amazing Race Productions/Jerry Bruckheimer Productions/Bertram van Munster

_**--- --- --- ---**_

_**CREATIVE CREDIT---ORIGINAL**_

'_Samurai Crunchbird'_

'_So the Reality'_

'_Thad Marster'_

_All parody trademarks and 'pop-culture' references_

_**ALL**__** Copyright 2007 by Matthew Shrader **_

_**(Rights agent for Thad Marster, aka "The Samurai Crunchbird").**_

""""""""""

_**Author's ending notes:**_

**1) **The 'Amazing Race' references allude to the final chapter of 'So the Reality: Amazing Race'. As a little 'timeline adjustment', I had the Stoppables adopting Hana just a few days prior to Ron and Kim beginning the 'Race'. _If you haven't read it yet, give it a try…you will not be disappointed._

**2) **_**Watch this space**_, as it were. My next story, 'Fifth Grader' (along with its corresponding 'Prologue' entry), is _scheduled_ to premiere the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving (fingers crossed with hope). If 'Fifth Grader' does not come out then, at least the 'Prologue' chapter _**will**_ be released.

See, I try not to keep you without your 'StR' fix for long!

**3)** The production of this story, like that for any work of fiction, is solely dependent upon the _constructive_ feedback of its readers. If you like it, I will gladly make more. If you think of ways to make it better, I am always open to suggestions. If you really think it's a piece of garbage, stop me before I strike again!! Once again, _**Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!**_

Your friend in writing, taking a bow as the curtain closes,

The Samurai Crunchbird


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